HIKINO 



LENGTH: 16ft 



BEAM: 8 ft 



HEIGHT: 5.5 ft 



DRAFT: 2.1 ft 



WEIGHT (DRY): 5,700 lb 



OPERATING DEPTH: 20ft 



COLLAPSE DEPTH: 30ft 



LAUNCH DATE: 1966 



HATCH DIAMETER: none 



LIFE SUPPORT (MAX): 48 man-hr 



TOTAL POWER: 2.3 kWh 



SPEED (KNOTS) CRUISE 0.9 



MAX 3.5M5 min. 



CREW: PILOTS 1 



OBSERVERS 1 



PAYLOAD: NA 



PRESSURE HULL: Spherical shape of two 56-in. OD plastic hemispheres 0.25 in. thick. The two hemispheres were hinged together bv an 



aluminum flange and opened to allow entry of personnel. The catamaran hull was constructed of marine plywood, covered with fiberglass and sealed 



with paint. 



BALLAST/BUOYANCY: Lead ballast weights (1,750 lb) gave the vehicle neutral buoyancy at launch. Total buoyancy was a function of trapped 



air, water absorption, personnel and equipment weight. The pressure sphere furnished about 3,160 lb positive buoyancy. Floodable tanks at each 



end of both pontoons were vented to obtain negative buoyancy. Normally the vehicle dived 10 lb heavy, but over mud bottom It was 10 lb light to 



decrease stirring of mud. 



PROPULSION/CONTROL: Two 1.4-hp, DC motors powered cycloidal propellers forward of pressure sphere and capable of swiveting 90° up or 



down. 



TRIM: None. 



POWER SOURCE: Twenty 6-V, 190-amp-hr, lead-acid batteries are carried in two containers in the catamaran hull. The batteries are exposed to 



water and ambient pressure; to protect them, the terminals were coated with rubber cement, most of the air was displaced by the electrolyte, cells 



were modified to prevent gas trapping and pressure relief valves were screwed into filler holes of each cell. Voltages supplied were 18 VDC and 24 



VDC. 



LIFE SUPPORT: Gaseous O2 (514 in.-* at 1800 psi) was carried in the pressure sphere and metered out automatically at 2 SCFH. LiOH was 



employed in a 10-SCFM blower circuit to remove COj. Silica gel was used to decrease humidity. 



VIEWING: Panoramic viewing through plastic hull. 



OPERATING/SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT: NA. 



MANIPULATORS: None. 



SAFETY FEATURES: Two scuba tanks and regulators carried in the pressure hull for emergency breathing or to exit vehicle after flooding. 



SURFACE SUPPORT: Not applicable. 



OWNER: Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, Calif. 



BUILDER: Same as above. 



REMARKS: HIKINO was an experimental vehicle (called a Mock- Up) used to gain experience with plastic hulls, this experience led to development 



of NEMO, DEEP VIEW, and other plastic-hulled submersibles. 



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